Vegan Orange and Almond Cake

This is our vegan and gluten free version of the popular Spanish 'Tarta de Almendras y Naranja' It's very moist with a citrus flavour and can either be served as cake or as dessert with vegan ice cream or yoghurt.

Vegan Orange and Almond Cake

Dietary: Vegan, Gluten Free

Makes: 1 x 20cm cake

Ingredients

• 1 large orange
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 2 star anise
• 4 cloves
• 75ml aquafaba
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 75g plain or gluten-free flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 200g ground almonds
• Icing sugar to dust
• Toasted flaked almonds and orange slices to serve

Method

1. Place the orange (unpeeled) in a saucepan and just cover with water and add the cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour, checking the water doesn’t dry out and adding more if necessary. Leave the orange to cool then cut it in half, remove any pips and puree in a food processor.
2. In a large bowl beat the aqua faba until it is tripled in volume and forms soft peaks.
3. Add the sugar a spoon at a time and keep whisking until the mixture is firm and glossy.
4. Whisk in the orange puree.
5. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground almonds.

For a large cake

• Pour into a lined cake tin and bake at 180C for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160C and cook for a further 10 to 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when pushed into the cake. If the cake looks like it is darkening too much cover it loosely in foil. Decorate with flaked almonds.

For individual cakes

• Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases. Divide the mixture evenly between the 12 muffin cases. Bake for 25 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer comes out clean.